&f=Calibri-Bold&ts=14&tc=d4d4cc&it=gif&c=round&bgt=gradient&bgc=ad6807&ebgc=d98807&be=on&w=125&h=30){kind=small}
-----
Meiji Tasty Cinnamon ChocolateKcal 211 Fat 13.9g Carbs 19.5g (per 36.0g pack)
Its not unlike the Japanese do buck a trend, but even I was surprised to see Meiji come out with this latest cinnamon flavoured chocolate. Cinnamon chocolate isn't a common flavour combination I have seen across Japanese confectionery (actually not at all before), nor is it one that I ever really see paired outside of Christmas festivity periods. To be honest I could have cared less - I'm good to try anything :D Unfortunately I can't fill you guys in with the official on-pack blurb due to the language restrictions, however by the best of my knowledge this was a 36.0g pack of six chocolate sticks with base dark chocolate layers with cinnamon flavoured white chocolate on top.
Packaging and presentation were really what really rather standard for typical Japanese products - stylish and possibly excessive haha! The unsealing of the individual foil stick packets straight away set the expectations of the experience to come, with strong spicy scents emanating with very little subtlety. Meiji can never be a brand who can be accused of not delivering the promised flavour variation - the cinnamon was by far the dominant influence on the taste with both chocolate types taking a very 'backseat' presence. Had it not been differentiated in colour, I probably wouldn't have even noted the presence of the dark chocolate base, the white chocolate and strong tones of cinnamon dominated from the start of the melt to the end with their contrasting creamy, spiced flavours.
Overall despite having it's limitations with it's one dimensional cinnamon flavouring, I actually quite liked this chocolate and thought it was a decent offering. If this particular spice isn't anything that gets you too excited then there isn't much here for you, though if you fancy getting your fill of this combination without having to wait until Christmas this is a pretty sound option. Another solid, if unspectacular flavoured chocolate from Meiji.
7.5 out of 10
------
Lotte Tiramisu ChocolateKcal 424 Fat 32.0g Carbs 30.3g (per 69.0g pack)
The next product up today comes from Lotte who are probably most renowned on this site for their superb Pocky 'me2 range' Toppo, and of course the Crunky Cereal Chocolate bars. Whilst the Toppo and Crunky offerings are the most commonly featured on both here and J-List, Lotte also have a few other chocolate bar lines that they constantly update with new flavours etc. The most recent one sent to me was this Tiramisu chocolate - a limited edition offering that is described by J-list as 'Super rich fresh cream and cheese stuffed between classic Lotte milk chocolate' .... sounds unappealing huh!? Well it turned out to be really rather good.
Before I start describing how wonderful this tasted I unfortunately can't gloss over the horrible packaging this bar came in. The Japanese are usually so terrific in making their products look appetising, but in my opinion their attempt at creating a retro look here was off the mark and more looked like design work suitable only for a pair of 1970s curtains :D Thankfully thoughts of the wrapper were all soon forgotten when I got around to tasting the chocolate. As you can see the bar was thin in nature, however still managed to create a dual textured mouth feel with it's softer truffle filling sandwiched between the smooth, glossy outer chocolate. Taste wise the milk chocolate wasn't particularly special with it's sweet creamy flavours, though the inner tiramisu centre really came through, adding strong twists of coffee and mild boozieness to create a very enjoyable, progressive flavour journey - big thumbs up.
Overall I was very impressed with this Lotte Tiramisu Chocolate and would happily recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the dessert itself. Although the bar hasn't managed to break the 8.0 out of 10 mark, it is worth noting that this was solely down to the standard of the packaging, which for a Japanese product was surprisingly below par. If you are ordering from Japan in the near future I would suggest you consider this as something you add to your basket if you like the sound of it.
7.6 out of 10
------
Tirol Chocolate Kinako MochiKcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ???
I'm going to finish off todays set of reviews with the ChocolateMission debut of a brand of chocolates called Tirol. Tirol chocolates are famed throughout Japan and the Far East for their small sized nature, indeed these individual square shaped chocolates are about the size of a standard truffle, weighing only 9.0g each. My first experience with the brand was with this Kinako Mochi flavoured chocolate, which for the uninformed Japanese foodies amongst you means 'sticky rice cake with soy powder' flavour.
I really went to town here with the photos for this chocolate, as I really wanted to get across just how unique and wonderfully crafted these chocolates looked. Each individual pieces came wrapped in a dual layered wrapping, the first being a colourful, well designed plastic warpper, and then below that a silver foil wrapper for freshness. As much as the exterior wrappers were interesting, these really did pale in comparison to the delightful taste and texture experience that awaited me. The outer portion of the piece was a dark coloured white chocolate and established a sweet taste that had notes of roasted peanuts, cream and custard present throughout. Sat in the middle of the chocolate, a firm jelly like layer added a wonderful gummy sweet like texture experience that was terrifically unique and beautifully constrastive to the smooth melting chocolate.
Overall I give my first experience with the Tirol brand a big thumbs up and I think I have found yet another Japanese brand that has found itself a terrific little niche in this congested confectionery market. What these Tirol chocolates lacked in size, was more than made up for by the delicious tasting chocolate and exciting, unique texture experience delivered by the mochi filling at the heart of each piece. If you are looking for some Japanese chocolates that are a little differentiated from the rest then I suggest taking a look at Tirol's range now.
8.0 out of 10
Posts
59 comments:
Cinnamon chocolate at Christmas? Lol I don't even recall ever seeing one around then, let alone during the other eleven months in the year. I do like adding cinnamon to my hot chocolates some time though so I can see how it could work. Thanks for the reviews chap.
Fab job on the pics for that Tirol Mochi thing. It looks tremendous, so unlike anything I have seen before.
If you are reading this people at J-List i hope you are all doing well after earthquake. We are all praying that your country recovers after these horrible times.
It feels about silly talking about Japanese chocolates after all the atrocisties that have just gone down. Like the saying goes though, I guess life goes on.
I like the sound of the tiramisu chocolate, but I am less keen on the other two. I tried mochi from a sushi bar once and just couldn't get over the disgusting texture. You say it likes a gummy sweet Jim but don't you think the nasty paper coating on the outside makes it feel all odd? It wasn't something I liked.
Jim you don't mention there being any sort of coffee flavouring in the tiramisu bar. Was it not in there or something? Its sorta an important part of the whole dessert lol.
Yeah Jim good to see bandb come back this week. I was well disappointed when we didn't get one last week cause it sorta makes up for you not posting as much as if we get reviews of loads of different things.
I was wondering if you were ever going to review any of those Tirol chocolates. I find it pretty bizarre that they only come as small chocolates but Im sure if you find a favourite one of them its a nice way of controlling how much you eat of it lol. I've seen a few more flavours on other choco websites, I expect you might want to review some more after liking this one. Do it my friend.
Can i ask why you didn't give the sweet potato kit kats on the post the other day a score? I would like to know how they measure up to the rest of them. Were they not as good or something?
Dammit, Jim two of these were on my competition answer form I sent you. That doesn't make my entry null now they have been reviewed does it? If it does can you let me know so I can send you another two. Thanks for running it man, I look forward to picking up my prize ;)
Where are the pocky and kit kat reviews? Are you just eating them all before you get the chance to write some reviews or something :) lol.
Good pics of the bottom Tirol chocolate mate. You almost go through the whole unwrapping process, it certainly looks like a curious little number.
Are jlist themselves actually based in Japan or are they just like a us firm that buys and sells japanese goods? Im confused as to how their business works? You say the head guy is called peter? He doesn't sound very japanese to me lol.
If you are open to it would you like me to send some of my suggestions on? There are a few things I would like to see you review if thats ok.
Lol cinnamon makes me cringe. I wouldn't ever think about letting it near my chocolate.
Sorry to post on a completely unrelated note but I thought you might want to know that I was able to buy the new flavour of mikado in tescos yesterday. They were next to the white chocolate ones and are hazelnut flavoured.
Despite the recent tragic events in Japan, the guys at J-List are running business as usual and I was the lucky recipient of yet another parcel full of goodies before the awful events occurred a few weeks ago.
Have they sent it since it happened or was it before? I would be surprised to hear that their postal system is back on its feet already.
Overall I give my first experience with the Tirol brand a big thumbs up and I think I have found yet another Japanese brand that has found itself a terrific little niche in this congested confectionery market.
I love the looks of these. They look very 'japanese' if you get me. Scintillating reviewage again choco lover :P
The tyrol choc looks like its covered in carramac. Did it taste anything like it at all? You say it tasted more like peanuts than caramel? Im guessing the answer to that might be a no lol :)
Im not sure if my comment has come through ......it said error 404
Get down with the good stuff Jim, we want Pocky man!!!!!!
Awesome. Just seen the competition you started the other day mate. Is it just one pack of cheese kit kats you are giving away or are there any more prizes? It must be like winning a one in a million chance if its just the one prize. That would sorta suck ass.
LISTEN UP PEOPLE
I have spoken to Jim about this and he didn't want to say anything because he has affiliate banners and doesn't want to be accused of encouraging people to buy stuff they might not want.
BUT HE DID GIVE ME PERMISSION TO POST THE FOLLOWING
J-list will be donating 5% of all orders to the Japanese red cross this month
SO LETS SUPPORT THE COUNTRY!!! If ever you were thinking of buying from jlist I think this has to be the month to do it.
I don't know if you have seen this mate but they now have a plain kit kat up on that website which you could do one of your 'compare to the uk one' reviews on. I wouldn't of thought they could be that much differen but I guess you cant tell with these things.
Yummmmy in my tummy! Tiramisu is my all time best dessert :) The only other brand I can think of that has tried making it in to a chocolate bar lately is Lindt and they do it amazingly with that petits desserts one. That will take a lot of beating but I would have thought lotte chocolate would be like ten times cheaper than the lindt one if you didn't have to pay for postage. Great reviews.
Dx
How can you even think of reviewing chocolates from this country when there is such widespread devesation. Get a life mate, some things are more important that reviewing chocolate you know.
I can do without cinnamon chocolate thank you but OMG I have to have that kit kat mug they have up on there now. Uber coolness.
Can someone explain to me what mochi is? I have googled it but im getting surprised by the results I get. Some say it is a savoury thing and others say it makes up desserts :s :S :S v v confused here.
WICKED. Just seen your giveaway. You cant but them anymore btw. They are sold out everywhere =) I have to win even more now.
Excellent reviews again love, I always enjoy a good few reviews from the crazy folk in Japan. Have you considered reviewing that green tea kit kat mini bag? I have been keeping an eye on the best seller chart for Jlist and they have been up there for ages. One would have thought that it must be good if it can be that popular for that long.
Rxxx
GoldenTouch thanks for telling us about that. Jim I think you could have done it yourself though mate. No one would have thought you were being cheeky or anything.
God bless the Japanese in these times.
If buying there candy bars helps out in any small way i think it is the least I can do.
Could someone please advise me on how long shipment takes? Im guessing if I order something like right now (wednesday afternoon) it wont have a chance of being here by Saturday? I was thinking of getting some stuff as a gift for someone but I need it for sunday. Any advice welcome.
I think the last thing anyone in Japan gives a damn about is your views on how good their chocolate is. I think they have a few other things to worry about.
You are right jim that box for the lotte chocolate does look like it was inspired by the 1970s. Maybe in Japan they think that it is retro cool or something? Im not sure what the link to tiramisu would be mind you. I dont think thats an old timer pudding.
Hiya
I have just discovered your website and im totally amazed by the amount of chocolates you have written about. I never realised in japan that they had such a broad amount of chocolates that are different from our own. Its very intriguing once you look in to these things I think. I will be reading your blog from now on, I hope its ok to add my comments.
Thanks
x
That one at the bottom looks crazy. Its not hard to guess that its from Japan huh!?
Im not to sure about the cinnamon chocolate mind. I think its like you say Jim, it would be nice to perhaps try one time, but as things go its not one that I would probably buy. God bless you Japan.
This must be the year of japan or something cause you are reviewing so many of their chocolates. I remember the time when this website was almost all about german chocolates everyday :-) lol what happened to that? I shan't complain too much dude. I do love seeing all the different things they come up with. I dont even try and predict what mental ideas will be next cause its never anything close to what I think of :-)
@Golden thank you for letting us know about that. I think thats a remarkable thing for jlist to be doing. big up to them.
I love the sound of the cinnamon chocolate, I love all things cinnamon. I agree with you about the Tiramisu wrapper Jim, haha it's not very good is it. It sounds delicious though. The Mochi looks interesting.
@Alex- what should Jim do, never review products from Japan ever again because of what's happening? You only ever come on this site looking for an opportunity to criticize - I think it's you who needs to get a life.
Good on J-List for donating to Japanese red cross.
That 5% donation is remarkable. If every business in Japan did this im sure they would be on their feet in no time. Jlist are so cool. They get major cool points IMO.
Phew jim that one week absence of bits and bobs had me feeling all uneasy with things :-) Lol I don't like it when you change things, just keep everything the same lol.
cinnamon chocolate - err no thanks. I don't do cinnamon at all. Devils stuff.
tiramisu chocolate - yes please. Way more my sort of thing. It looks v nice.
tirol - im not sure i would like this flavour in particular but some of the others I have seen look ok. The custard pudding one sounds again like it could be my sort of flavour.
Forget pocky guys and girls its all about pretz. They are the savoury make for pocky, the sweet potato flavour is so god damn good. I highly recommend them. I've also just been looking at some of the doritos that they sell over there. Some of the flavours sound so good. Lol much more exciting than boring old cool original that we get.
@Nick Have you really never seen a cinnamon flavoured chocolate before? Plenty of the truffle selections you see around christmas time always have them in + I remember hotel chocolat even had a slab that was cinnamon themed I think. In germany you would be hard pressed to find a chocolate without cinnamon in around christmas time lol.
The first symbols above Meiji (シナモン) mean "cinnamon" and I think they also say something about them being sticks (スティック) on the row below chocolate.
And what's written over the Italian flag in the picture of Lotte Tiramisu Chocolate (ティラミス) means "tiramisu"
No, I don't understand Japanese. I just understand certain things on chocolate wrappers and that's just because of trying so many things and staring at so many wrappers over the years. And they're usually the same things I can understand in over 20 languages... for the exact same reason :)) which is trying lots of sweets and studying the wrappers :))
I know it got the lowest rating, but the one I feel most tempted to try out of these three is the first one (Meiji Tasty Cinnamon Chocolate). I have a soft spot for chocolate-cinnamon combinations.
The second one looks very nice when unwrapped, but reading "cheese" on the wrapper really puts me off - I cannot stand cheese. Sometimes I can find "fake tiramisu" cakes that are made without cheese and I've discovered that those I like. Anything that actually contains cheese is not for me.
As for the third one... I must admit they look beautiful and "rice cake" sounds nice, but "sticky" or "soy powder" or "peanuts" don't.
Speaking of rice... Milka put out three limited edition bars for the 2011 World Ski Championships this February and two of them were with rice: Super-G: Milk Cream, Rice and Plum and Slalom: Milk Cream, Rice & Vanilla. The third one is with milk cream and almond pieces. I haven't actually seen them in stores :( I would have certainly tried them.
HI All,
Normally I would say it is lovely to have so much feedback on the reviews but I have to admit I'm a little disappointed by some of the remarks today.
To just get the issue out of the way - Alex I'm really failing to see why you could have an issue with me continuing to write about Japanese chocolates. In my own little way I feel that if anything I am helping J-List out by giving them exposure on this website. If businesses in Japan just stopped and didn't continue to function the entire economy would be in a right mess.
Also if you read all my posts since two Fridays ago, almost all of them make recognition of the disaster in Japan and I have sent on my best wishes several times. There is hardly any more I can do than that.
Anyone wondering why I let Alex & Anonymous's comments up on the website in the first place should know that I run the website as a place where people can speak their minds. Only in the case of bad language do I not allow comments to appear.
Anyway ... moving on to more important people and matters ....
NICK - No cinnamon isn't that common outside of Christmas but you don't have to look far during November/December to find one.
KIM - I don't mind the texture myself. I eat Japanese dumpling quite often so I guess I'm used to it.
GARY - It wasn't the most forthcoming of all the flavours. On the whole I still think the Tiramisu was cleverly integrated.
LEWIS - They had been scored previously. Check out the competition post more closely chap.
EOIN - Of course not. It is still valid.
MYSTERIO - See 'Bits n Bobs' next week.
COLIN - Peter is a US expat living in Japan :D I see how you could have got confused.
ANON - Always open to rquests ... thats the whole point of the latest competition :D
SARAH - Thanks for the heads up. I will check them out soon enough.
KATIE - The package was sent before the earthquake but they are fully operational.
FRAN - No it wasn't that much alike Carramac at all. It didn't taste anything like caramel and had more of a nuttier emphasis to its taste.
TERRY - Im looking in to sourcing some runners up prizes to make sure more people get rewarded. I can't promise anything though.
GOLDEN - Thanks for posting that chap. Much appreciated and very worthwhile being brought to everyones attention.
JEN - You obviously haven't consulted my main source of information WIKI :D If I had to put it succinctly mochi is a type of Japanese dumpling (traditionally made with rice flour) that can contain both sweet and savoury fillings ... Knowing the Japanese I wouldn't put i past them to stick both in there haha :D
RACHEL - See next weeks 'Bits n Bobs'
MARV - If you put in an order it can give you delivery estimates.
TINA - Welcome to the site. Make sure you stick around we are a very friendly bunch :D If you ever have a thought or opinion make sure you share it with the rest of us :D
PHIL - The tiramisu wrapper needs a bit of reworking but the chocolate is very good indeed. Thanks for your 'back up' aswell chap. Much appreciated.
ANA - What a shame ... your Japanese words aren't actually appearing on my iphone. I musn't have the correct stuff installed or something. The 'cheese' refers to mascarpone cheese I believe. That is a common sweet food here in the UK so its not off putting by any means. By all means I recommend the cinnamon chocolate, if you are after that type of chocolate it does the job nicely. Those Milka bars look nice don't they. The plum one especially sounds quite different to what they have done before.
Thanks again for all the comments regarding the photography today guys and girls. No 'old man' influence today :D those were solely my own efforts :D
JIM
These all look interesting to try! The Tiramasu wrapper is the most bizarre I've seen in a long time lol the chocolate itself sounds rather tasty though!
Not sure about the Mochi, I remember you reviewed some a while ago didnt you, round versions, chocolate flavoured I think. I think the texture would put me off them.
The tirol choco looks by far the most interesting out of everything here. Im very surprised to read you haven't reviewed any of them before. They do some pretty amazing flavours, I thought you would have been all over them.
Are some of these comments genuine? I can't believe for a second that anyone would be stupid enough to have a go at Jim for posting about japanese products just because there has been an earthquake in that country.
1 - its totally unrelated
2 - its not his fault theres been an earthquake
3 - in a way what he is posting is helping their country
4 - GET A GRIP
lol some people need to take this blog less seriously. Jesus.
There was me thinking we might have seen the back of the Japanese chocs for a while.
Its great to see that they are still up and running and that you will be able to continue the reviews for the minute. I was fearful that their business might have hit a road bump with all thats gone on.
Geeze that 5% donation on every order should add up to loads if they do it until the end of the month. Good on Jlist for doing that it obviously wont make the biggest difference ever but im sure it will help things out in the long run. I respect them immensely for doing that.
Why do you do this to me every week? I get so jealous of you being able to try all these zaney things. Like it really is every week I see one or two things that I would love to try. If I actually bought them all I would be skint lol.
I wouldn't touch the cinnamon chocolate with yours but the other two look semi decent. I hope you can buy those small chocolates at the bottom in multi packs. They will be a little pointless if you cant. One bite and their gone.
Review those mini green tea kit kats. They sound mega intriguing.
I remember when I was travelling through Japan and I fist saw their sweet shops. I was amazed by the amount of different flavours they did, their shops weren't anything like ours. They literally have boxes and boxes full of different kinds of different things. I think you would be in paradise if you ever went there Jim. I would recommend it, it was quite the experience.
Its a relief to hear that all is well at jlist, I hope they were effected minimally.
Out of these 3 I would be most inclined to pick out the tiramisu before the other 2. Like Ana says I find the cheese thing a little off putting but ignoring that it sounds and looks very nice. Thank you for your excellent reviews! I love reading them so much.
Ignore the haters Jimbo. Keep the reviews coming buddy that alex muppet doesn't have a clue what he is talking about. I think he is just being a troll.
Its a shame those tirol chocolates arent more economical to buy. I just looked them up and there are some crazy flavours about.
So many of the things you review from Japan always score about 7 or 8. I never feel that they justify buying them from such a long way away. If they scored better I would feel more inclined to try some of these but not when their scores are so mediocre.
ALAN - I thought you might take the wrapper to task :D its not the best one we have seen ever is it haha! The Mochi I reviewed was vanilla ice cream flavoured if you remember.
RAV - Don't worry chap this experience here has encouraged to seek more of their stuff out. I'm on the case so to speak.
ROSS - Don't worry about it so much chap. Its like water off a ducks back. Thanks for the back up though :D
IAN - It's very commendable isn't it.
SAM - I've not ever seen a Tirol multipack before but I'm sure they must do them. Like you say it would be pointless just producing singles.
ANON - Take a look at the site next week. You should be pleasantly surprised.
SALLY - I'm not much of a traveller but Japan is one of the few places that does interest me. One day maybe I will make it there.
JUSTIN - Don't worry I have had much practice ignoring him :D I let his comments appear just so people can have a laugh at his expense.
Thanks guys/girls.
JIM
Ahh, what were those ones that were chocolate coloured? or am i just imagining the colour which is possible haha
@Golden thanks for posting that again about the 5% lol I never thought of asking before posting it on the news page :S then again I don't see how it's different from featuring products that have Red Nose Humour charity tie-ups etc. it is the consumer's choice to make, no-one would accuse you of pushing J-List, or if they do we are used to trolls by now anyway :) oh and the 5% is till they reach $10,000, through April.
@the people who think chocolate is not a serious enough topic to write about with Japan in the same breath a) then you might want to avoid an international chocolate website :) b) guess what my family's Japanese guests gave their hosts as gifts? c) guess how many CM readers found out about and just put in their first order to JList, to help the Japanese economy with 5% + reinvestment. Oh and no offense, but I for one didn't do c) because of any affiliate banners, either.
Post a Comment